# Kosher Certification Questions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-certification-questions/481365>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-certification-questions/481365 "2009-01-15T02:10:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-certification-questions/481365/21 "2009-01-15T19:47:18Z")

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> [@Keeve](#):
>
> Several supermarkets in my NJ town do carry it, though it’s about 10-20% more expensive. Eventually, maybe even Pittsburgh! 🙂

We might even have it already, but I’ve never noticed it. When I’m in the dairy aisle, all I’m looking for is the cheap fat-free milk with an expiration date as far in the future as possible. I couldn’t tell you if my grocery store carries lactose-free milk or half-and-half, because I never look for those things.

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**Author:** ![please921](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ad7895/32.png) [@please921](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/please921)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-certification-questions/481365/22 "2009-01-16T01:36:10Z")

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> [@Billdo](#):
>
> Going back to the question of how highly observant Jews consider OU certifications, I have a vague recollection that there was some flap several years ago about Hebrew National hot dogs (and other products) which led some to be distrustful of the OU?

As far as I am aware, the OU never certified Hebrew National hot dogs as kosher. Perhaps you’re thinking of Triangle-K which has been used to certify Hebrew National for the past few years. Many Orthodox Jews consider the Triangle-K symbol to be unreliable, due to the fact that the organization tends to rely on many leniencies when certifying products.

When it comes to Hebrew National hot dogs in particular, (Modern) Orthodox Jews generally consider them kosher. However, most Orthodox Jews refrain from eating them because they are not _glatt_ kosher. There is a common misconception that glatt kosher means “extra kosher”. The true definition of the term is that after all the fundamental kashrut conditions were met in the slaughtering of the animal, an additional step is taken as the rabbi checks to see that the animal has no defects on its lungs. Although there is no Jewish law to eat meat that is strictly glatt kosher, most Orthodox Jews traditionally take on this extra level of stringency, thus refraining from eating Hebrew National hot dogs and other meat that is not glatt. This [article](http://www.forward.com/article/hebrew-national-certified-kosher-%E2%80%94-but-not-koshe/) on the topic of the kashrut of Hebrew National hot dogs is fascinating.

IMHO, Hebrew National’s business model is not based around attracting Jews who already keep kashrut, rather on taking advantage of the fact that “kosher” is generally synonymous with “clean”, which is a significant factor when it comes to the soccer mom standing in the grocery store, trying to decide which brand of hot dogs to buy for her family. It all goes back to semantics.

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